The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1887-01-22
GRAND JURY REPORT.
To the Honorable Judge Of the Twenty,
fifth Judicial District Court, in and for
the Parish o. Vcrmilion

fifth Judicial District Court, in snd for
the Parish o. Vcrmilion.
We, the Grand Jurors. duly en-
raneled for this term Of your honor
able court respectfully submit this,
our final report:
The duties incumbent upon n>
have been fearlessly and impart'al|y
dealt with, and az far as we know
all gio|a'ors of the Law and public
quiet within the parish have been
dealt with as the law directs. The
condition Of the parish Jail alone is
subject which should deserve ma
tnrc consideration. Humanity de.
mands it, and justice mast require
a fit place 10 incarccrate the
unfo' tanate portion of mankind.
The life of a prisoner, while con-
aned within the walls Of such Jail,
TO say the least. must he simply ap,
paIIing. The force pump once used
10 supply water is at present a total
wreck, consequently the water used
for cleansing purposes must be OBJ
tanned from distance, and tue
supply thus gained is wholly made
quate to relieve the wants of the
prisoners. II the water works were
in good condition that almost un,
bearnble stencil arising from the
private apartments could he easily
dispensed with; but without this the
criminal must lead an almost cruel
existence.
The cessrool a'so. Of the misdc
meanor room, Is surely in need Of
repairs. Ii has been stopped up for
u time past. The grand juries OF
two preceding courts have reported
the fact TO the Police Jury, and it
very quietly let it 90 unnoticed
Such gross neglect on the part of a
body hearing such responsibilities
should not be borne,
We know not Il better way OF
judging the future than by tie past /;
therefore, we respectfully request
your Honor to is.ne an order to the
Police Jury and demand the imme-
diate reparat'on OF defects in the
parish jail. The foregoing state OF
affairs. we are reliably informed. j.
due directly to gross negligence on
the part Of the Police Jury.
The Jail keeper informs us that
the condition Of the pump has been
reported to the Police Jury. and
that that honorable body sobe,ly
ignored and laid it upon the table.
he prisoners tell ns that their beds
are all but what they should he.
consisting OF couple pairs Of double
blankets for covering. and a piece
Of eight %. duck attached on opp".
site walls for couch. Such he'd
is very insecure against the chilling
blast Of winter. especially when the
pri-oners are inclosed within grated
steel bars. We call the attention
of the Police Jury TO the above fac,
and ask that they give the matter
wise delibera,iOn.
We found the clerks Office, under
the able management Of Mr.. astie
Bronssard. in the best of order:
other parts Of the court house are
kept comparatively as we|I-in fact,
as we'll as can be in the present
place.
a VIEW COURTHOUSE.
The at,ention Of the Police jury.
and Vermilion's populace in general,
should be especially directed towards
the erection of neg courthouse
This, your Honor, is most import
ant subject, and we hope ere another
year shall have dawned upon lls, the
parish will he blessed with q lasting
ornament-a universal convenience.
q place Of civil and criminal jaris.
dicton.
Another thing. your Honor, vhich
We particularly point out to the
honorable members ct our Police
Jury. is the condition Of our public
roads throughout The parish
We suggest an entire survey of
the public Highways and publication
Of same. This would do away with
making a neighbor's field travelling
convenience, and put an end to the